Issued on: 03/09/2022 – 13:40Altered: 03/09/2022 – 13:59
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate the standoff between Kiev and Moscow over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the invasion began. Read our live blog to see how all the events of the day are going. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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6:32 p.m.: IAEA says Ukraine’s nuclear power plant has been cut off from the mains
The global atomic energy watchdog said on Saturday that Ukraine’s nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya had been disconnected from the last remaining mains power line and now relies on a backup power line.
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has again lost connection to the last remaining external mains power line, but the facility continues to supply electricity to the grid through a backup line, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed today on the site,” the agency said in a statement.
1:21 p.m.: Russia says it thwarted Ukraine’s attempt to seize Zaporizhzhya factory on Friday
Ukrainian forces attempted to take the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant during an attack on the facility on Friday night, the Russian defense ministry said in its daily briefing on Saturday.
The ministry said a Ukrainian naval force of more than 250 troops attempted to land on Friday at about 11 p.m. local time (2000 GMT) on the shore of a lake near the Zaporizhzhya plant in southern Ukraine.
“Despite the presence of representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the Kiev regime has again attempted to seize the plant,” the defense ministry said.
Russia said its forces thwarted the attack with attacks from military helicopters and fighter jets, destroying 20 Ukrainian ships and dispersing others and calling off the attack.
Reuters could not verify the report.
12:45 PM: Erdogan tells Putin Turkey can mediate deadlock at Zaporizhzhya factory
Turkey can mediate a stalemate over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Moscow’s troops, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
“President Erdogan stated that Turkey can play a facilitating role in the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, as they did in the grain agreement,” the Turkish presidency said, citing a grain export agreement signed in July by Kiev and Moscow with the United Nations and Turkey as guarantors.
Erdogan warned of the danger of nuclear disaster last month when he visited Lviv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “We are concerned. We do not want another Chernobyl,” the Turkish leader had said.
12:06pm: EU expects Russia to respect energy contracts
The European Union expects Russia to respect existing energy contracts, but is ready to rise to the challenge if it does not, economic commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Saturday. Asked about the shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Gentiloni told reporters: “We are not afraid of the decisions of (President Vladimir) Putin. We ask them to respect their contracts, but if they don’t, we are ready to respond.”
Gentiloni spoke after Russia scrapped a deadline on Saturday to resume gas supply to Germany via a major gas supply route, exacerbating Europe’s difficulties in obtaining winter fuel.
Gentiloni pointed to high gas storage levels across the EU and plans to reduce energy consumption as a sign that the continent was preparing for what will be a rough winter.
06:40 a.m.: Russia ‘alarmed’ US still has to issue visas for UN summit
Russia has expressed its “alarm” to the UN Secretary-General that the US has not yet issued visas for its delegation to attend a session of the General Assembly later this month, according to a letter seen by AFP on Friday.
“None of the 56 Russian representatives of the main team and the vanguard have received an entry visa to the United States,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Nebenzia added that a “similar situation exists with the accompanying journalists and crew members” on the flight of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation to the General Assembly from September 20 to 26.
“This is even more troubling because in recent months, United States authorities have consistently refused to grant entry visas to a number of Russian delegates designated to participate in official United Nations events,” Nebenzia added. “Issuing visas is the legal duty of the host country, not a right or a privilege.”
Under a 1947 agreement, the United States cannot prohibit member states’ representatives from traveling to UN headquarters in New York.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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